Review: "Pagan Portals - By Wolfsbane & Mandrake Root" by Melusine Draco
Looking into the shadow world of plants
"Pagan Portals - By Wolfsbane & Mandrake Root: The Shadow World of Plants and Their Poisons” by Melusine Draco provides a brief introduction to the history and toxicology of many of the world’s most poisonous plants. The book begins with an overview of poisons and their uses throughout European history from the Borgias to the Medici family and Shakespeare. If unfamiliar with the subject (as I was), it’s certainly an eye-opener!
The historical overview is well-paced and held my attention. However, this section spends a few pages delving into Shakespeare’s references to poisonous plants and the like, which as someone largely unfamiliar with these works, went completely over my head. Following the historical overview, the book transitions into listing plants, the effects of their poisons, and some examples of how they’ve been used over time. This section is when the pace begins to slow. If you’re unfamiliar with the world of plants, this part may be a bit dry, as there are no pictures to visualize the descriptions. It works well as a point of reference for these plants, but doesn’t have much in terms of a narrative that wraps into the other sections of the book.
The final section includes instructions for practitioners of witchcraft on how to use poisonous plants when bottling and cursing. I don’t have much of an opinion on this section, as I don’t practice cursing or bottling. Even so I found it to be an interesting read.
The author is very careful in warning readers these plants are extremely dangerous and should not be used lightly. The text doesn’t mince words. If eating the leaf of a plant will kill you three times over, it makes that known. This aspect of the book was ethically responsible and a positive. As someone just beginning my educational journey into witchcraft and herbalism it provided me a foundation on how to exercise caution when engaging with plants. Just because something is natural doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safe. It served as an important reminder to remain vigilant when I’m taking a hike through the woods. Some plants are harmful to smell or touch!
Overall, I enjoyed the book. The section on plants serves as a reference, one to study and review when engaging in the “shadow world” of the woods. It opened my mind to the power of nature. Even the beautiful, verdant leaf or the alluring crimson berry has the potential to kill.